Deteriorating Relations Over Migrant Influx
In a significant diplomatic incident, the Spanish Foreign Ministry has summoned the Italian ambassador in Madrid following remarks made by Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani, who has called for the Schengen Area to be closed off to Spain due to the escalating migrant crisis in Ceuta. Spanish Foreign Minister José Manuel Albares expressed his discontent, stating that Tajani's comments were inappropriate for a foreign minister of a partner and friendly nation, expecting European solidarity rather than partisan rivalries.
Albares' response came in the wake of Tajani's criticism of Spain's immigration policy amidst a surge of thousands of migrants, predominantly from Morocco, arriving at the Spanish enclave of Ceuta, located on the African coast. In a post on X (formerly Twitter), Tajani declared that the scenes emerging from Ceuta indicate a flawed immigration policy under Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez, advocating for the closure of the Schengen Area to Spain.
As part of the ongoing developments, Spanish official television reported, citing local authorities, that the border crossing at Beni Ansar between Morocco and the Spanish city of Melilla has been closed following a "mass entry attempt" that occurred around 10 PM local time. The Spanish authorities have also announced the deployment of military troops to assist in maintaining security in Ceuta and managing the border crisis.
Tragically, Spanish authorities have reported the recovery of the bodies of nine individuals who perished while trying to reach Ceuta, coinciding with a wave of hundreds of migrants entering the city, prompting the declaration of a "humanitarian emergency." This incident marks the largest mass entry of irregular migrants into Ceuta from Morocco since 2021, when around 10,000 migrants arrived in the city.
As reported by arabic.cnn.com.
